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AK1000
Stranger



Registered: 06/06/16
Posts: 488
Last seen: 2 years, 6 months
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What was your contamination rate when you started and what is it now?
#23584889 - 08/27/16 07:59 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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I haven't been growing for very long, but I did the math and my contamination rate is consistently 33% (meaning 33% failed) with the last couple batches I made using the PODS Tek.
- What was yours when you started? What tek were you using then?
- What did you change that helped decrease the contamination rate?
- For example, did you discover a new tek or implemented a tip or bought a piece of equipment that helped decrease your contamination rate? Did you switch to agar and reduce contams that way?
- How long have you been growing and what's your contamination rate now? What tek do you use with your current contam rate?
I'm just curious to spark some discussion about this issue. I feel like contamination is a normal part of mushroom growing, especially for that first year, but just wanted to know what others rates are like.
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alexmir

Registered: 02/26/15
Posts: 388
Last seen: 1 year, 3 months
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Re: What was your contamination rate when you started and what is it now? [Re: AK1000]
#23584900 - 08/27/16 08:02 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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I would say it was at 80 to 100% contamination my first 2 or 3 times.
Using bulk monotub and brf cakes.
It's about 5 to 10% now. Just being more careful in my SAB, using much better technique. Not trying to overfill the SAB, taking my time and not taking any shortcuts. I plan out what has to be done much better nown
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Greg
always learning




Registered: 10/28/15
Posts: 1,536
Loc: an autoclave
Last seen: 4 months, 3 days
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Re: What was your contamination rate when you started and what is it now? [Re: alexmir]
#23585046 - 08/27/16 08:47 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Very first grow was blue oysters, beginners luck meant I had absolutely no contams even though I had terrible sterile procedure. Got a decent yield actually.
Since then I've had sporadic problems with trich, penicillium and bacillus.
I'd say the contams really started to taper off when I pulled up all my carpet and replaced it with linoleum, that and working in a SAB instead of open air. The latter probably had more of an effect than the former, but carpet does harbor lots of crap. The original reason for replacing it was dust allergies actually. I also started PCing my grain for 90 mins instead of 40 or 50 as I used to do.
I tried no-pour agar teks for a while, but I had problems with bacteria even with antibacterial agar. Since switching to pouring I've had very little contams (like, less than 1 out of 20 plates go bad now). I don't know why I had such low success with no-pour teks because many people obviously use them without issues.
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Mad Season
hookers and blackjack



Registered: 09/16/12
Posts: 12,666
Loc: Canada
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Re: What was your contamination rate when you started and what is it now? [Re: Greg]
#23585544 - 08/27/16 11:29 PM (7 years, 6 months ago) |
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Very high contam rates before. Now maybe 10-15% of the trays I make contam before 2nd flush
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AK1000
Stranger



Registered: 06/06/16
Posts: 488
Last seen: 2 years, 6 months
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Re: What was your contamination rate when you started and what is it now? [Re: Mad Season]
#23631165 - 09/10/16 12:32 AM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
Mad Season said: Very high contam rates before. Now maybe 10-15% of the trays I make contam before 2nd flush
What did you change? Or more importantly, what were some of the major things that contributed to your drop in contam rates? Change in teks? Change in environment? Tools? Agar? Technique? etc
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herrenvolk


Registered: 05/14/16
Posts: 222
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Re: What was your contamination rate when you started and what is it now? [Re: AK1000]
#23631271 - 09/10/16 02:08 AM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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Here is what I think, from my experience. How to not get contams for beginners, in order of importance:
1. Make a still air box, and use it properly. 2. Do agar 3. Use CVG substrate and pasteurize it. 4. Use WBS without cracked corn for spawn and PC for 2 hours. 5. Use prints/syringes from reputable source
The first two are absolutely required. The last three are not absolutely required, but do help your odds. If you do all of these it should be pretty hard to screw up.
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mrmazdarx9
Pffffttt


Registered: 05/15/16
Posts: 9,796
Loc: behind you
Last seen: 1 year, 5 months
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Re: What was your contamination rate when you started and what is it now? [Re: herrenvolk]
#23631401 - 09/10/16 05:42 AM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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First Pf tek lost 4 jars second go 1 jar out of 6
Quote:
herrenvolk said: Here is what I think, from my experience. How to not get contams for beginners, in order of importance:
1. Make a still air box, and use it properly. 2. Do agar 3. Use CVG substrate and pasteurize it. 4. Use WBS without cracked corn for spawn and PC for 2 hours. 5. Use prints/syringes from reputable source
The first two are absolutely required. The last three are not absolutely required, but do help your odds. If you do all of these it should be pretty hard to screw up.
Agar is in no way absolutely required its just recommended it won't stop contams just give you a clean culture to start with even then I bet most haven't gotten all contams that are intertwined with the myc away The first and the last are
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need some supplies in the UK check Here or PM me UK OTD uk members chat UK supplies and trade OTD place to chat shit Right Here If you use "SWIM" you should DROWN
Edited by mrmazdarx9 (09/10/16 05:54 AM)
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KrizzKaliko
Lurker



Registered: 04/15/11
Posts: 192
Last seen: 6 years, 10 months
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Re: What was your contamination rate when you started and what is it now? [Re: mrmazdarx9]
#23631667 - 09/10/16 09:01 AM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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First grow was about 5 years ago (in sig). 10 PF cakes, didnt have any issues until around pinset time, 2 cakes got some excessive bluing, but nothing major. All cakes had 3 flushes aside from one jar that i tossed after flush 2. To this day im not convinced whether it was actually a contam or just severe dehydration (the pinsets were rather healthy).
Middle of my second grow now, 12 cakes about to be spawned to tubs, so far 0 contams (that I am able to detect).
Im obviously a noob with this being only my second grow, so im knocking on wood furiously that its because im OCD about my sterile procedure, and not just pure luck.

-edit- clarification.
Edited by KrizzKaliko (09/10/16 09:03 AM)
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Mad Season
hookers and blackjack



Registered: 09/16/12
Posts: 12,666
Loc: Canada
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Re: What was your contamination rate when you started and what is it now? [Re: AK1000]
#23631672 - 09/10/16 09:04 AM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
AK1000 said:
Quote:
Mad Season said: Very high contam rates before. Now maybe 10-15% of the trays I make contam before 2nd flush
What did you change? Or more importantly, what were some of the major things that contributed to your drop in contam rates? Change in teks? Change in environment? Tools? Agar? Technique? etc
Pasteurization in jars instead of a pillow case. Agar and SAB work, and ofc shroomery experience.
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bodhisatta 
Smurf real estate agent


Registered: 04/30/13
Posts: 61,890
Loc: Milky way
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Re: What was your contamination rate when you started and what is it now? [Re: Mad Season]
#23631716 - 09/10/16 09:36 AM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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Do CVG and sterilize it. If you're a noob avoid pasteurization and substrates that require it. CVG does better sterilized IMO
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Mushierage
SWIM Sinker



Registered: 06/29/16
Posts: 1,094
Last seen: 7 years, 2 months
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Re: What was your contamination rate when you started and what is it now? [Re: bodhisatta]
#23631831 - 09/10/16 10:33 AM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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Honestly for bulk subs, I haven't noticed any difference between pasteurization vs sterilization. I've never had a bulk sub contaminate until after the 2nd flush. I'd even go as far as to say it really makes very little difference at all for me. Of course I am talking about molds here and not bacteria.
Spawn though is a way different story. As long as I get to 100% colonization and start my bulk with clean spawn, it doesn't seem to matter whether or not I pasteurize or sterilize. Any I've questioned whether or not they are bacterial, have ended up with a bacterial sub before the 1st flush, or right after it.
And any I've started where I was confident the spawn was clean, has always looked great and not bacterial at all.
Life is like a jar of questionable spawn. You never know what you're gonna get.
-------------------- Don't like researching posts? Read this! . Also, if you're new and your posts contain the words: Humidifer, incubator, air-stone, or heater, then you need to read and UTFSE before asking people to review your setup. OR... You should be cultivating reptiles and fish, not mushrooms.
  
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